Revolutionary Women: A Symposium

Revolutionary Women: A Symposium was co-hosted by the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello and the University of Virginia Press on March 22, 2024.

Overview

This symposium provided opportunities to explore the diverse ways that women have shaped American history and society. It highlighted recent research and publications by prominent scholars featuring a variety of revolutionary women. Presenters shared research on the experiences of women who sought equality, freedom, and opportunities during the Age of Revolutions. The audience discovered the wide-ranging ways women were active players -- and not merely passive spectators -- during this tumultuous era.

This symposium was open to the public and included two round table discussions and a keynote address by Lorri Glover, author of Eliza Lucas Pinckney: An Independent Woman in the Age of Revolution. The day’s events were intended to inspire thought-provoking conversations and reflections about women’s accomplishments during a critical period in our nation’s history.

Schedule

This Symposium consisted of two round table discussions:

“Revolutionary Genius,” moderated by Rosemarie Zagarri of George Mason University. The conversation featured comments from Lucia McMahon (William Patterson University), Mary Sarah Bilder (Boston College Law School), and Cassander Smith (University of Alabama).
“Revolutionary Women,” moderated by Woody Holton of the University of South Carolina. This round table included comments from Ami Pflugrad-Jackisch (University of Toledo), Kathryn Silva (Claflin University), and Cynthia A. Kierner (George Mason University).

"Revolutionary Women & Their War for Independence" by Saint Louis University historian, Lorri Glover, author of Eliza Lucas Pinckney: An Independent Woman in the Age of Revolution (Yale University Press, 2020).

Following the keynote there was an opportunity to purchase books, written by some of our presenters and published by co-sponsor, the University of Virginia Press.

About the Speakers

Founders Professor of Law, Boston College Law School, Boston College.

Dr. Bilder is the author of Female Genius: Eliza Harriot and George Washington at the Dawn of the Constitution (University of Virginia Press, 2022).

Interim Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello, as well as Professor of American History, School of History, Classics and Archaeology, the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Dr. Cogliano’s most recent book is A Revolutionary Friendship: Washington, Jefferson, and the American Republic (Harvard University Press, 2024).

Professor, Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences, Saint Louis University.

Dr. Glover has a chapter in Women Waging War in the American Revolution edited by Holly A. Mayer (University of Virginia Press, 2022).

Professor, Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Carolina.

Dr. Holton is the author of many books, including Abigail Adams: A Life (Atria, 2010).

President, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

Dr. Kamensky is the author of A Revolution in Color: The World of John Singleton Copley (2016), among many other books

Professor, Department of History and Art History, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, George Mason University.

Dr. Kierner is the author of The Tory's Wife: A Woman and Her Family in Revolutionary America (University of Virginia Press, 2023).

Professor of History, Department of History and Women, Gender, and Sexuality and American Studies, Kalamazoo College.

Dr. Boyer Lewis is working on a book: Traitor, Wife: Margaret Shippen Arnold and Revolutionary America.

Professor and Chair of History, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, William Patterson University in Wayne, NJ.

Dr. McMahon is the author of The Celebrated Elizabeth Smith: Crafting Genius and Transatlantic Fame in the Romantic Era (University of Virginia Press, 2022).

Professor, Department of History, College of Arts and Letters, University of Toledo.

Dr. Pflugrad-Jackisch is working on a book about the life of Mary Willing Byrd, who owned and ran Westover Plantation in Virginia during the era of the American Revolution.

Assistant Professor and Chair of History, School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Claflin University.

Dr. Silva is working on a book: “At Times We May Seem Bold:” African American Women in the Southern Textile Industry, 1890-1954.

Associate Professor, Department of English, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Honors College, University of Alabama.

Dr. Smith has written and edited a number of works including a special issue “Dear Sister: Phillis Wheatley (Peters) Studies Now.” Early American Literature 57.3 (Winter 2022) co-edited with Tara A. Bynum and Brigitte Fielder.

Distinguished University Professor, Department of History and Art History, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, George Mason University.

Dr. Zagarri is the author of numerous books, including Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008).

Conference Co-Sponsors

The Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello (ICJS)

From its beginning in 1994, the dual purpose of the ICJS has been research and education - to foster Jefferson scholarship and to disseminate its findings. The activities of the Center are diverse and multidisciplinary. It is a site for Jefferson scholars and teachers, as well as a venue for lectures, seminars, and conferences. The Center seeks a central role in the ongoing study of Thomas Jefferson internationally by supporting a wide range of inquiry; by building a network of scholars, teachers, and resources; by helping define new areas of investigation; and by promoting the application of new technologies to Jefferson scholarship.

University of Virginia Press

The University of Virginia Press was founded in 1963 to advance the intellectual interests not only of the University of Virginia but of institutions of higher learning throughout the state. As a member of the Association of University Presses, UVAP currently publishes seventy new titles annually. New titles are approved by the Board of Directors after a rigorous process of peer review. The UVAP editorial program focuses primarily on the humanities and social sciences with special concentrations in American history, African American studies, southern studies, literature, ecocriticism, architecture, and regional books. While it continuously pursues new titles, UVAP also maintains a backlist of over 1,000 titles in print.